1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to networks, and more specifically, to a method of establishing a network phone call connection between a caller and a callee that employs a look-up service and a callee connection service.
2. Description of the Related Art
People commonly employ the Internet for conducting an Internet phone call. The sequence of steps to conduct an Internet phone call is as follows. First, both parties connect to the Internet via their respective Internet service providers (ISP). Once both parties are connected to the Internet, an Internet phone call can be initiated by either party.
It is important to note that a requirement for initiating the Internet phone call is that both parties are presently connected to the Internet. This sequence of steps, described above, will hereinafter be referred to as the "rendezvous" model.
The "rendezvous" model has several disadvantages. First, since both the caller and the callee have to be connected to the Internet in order to initiate an Internet phone call, both participants of an Internet phone need to schedule a time for the call prior to the actual call, so that both participants, shortly before the call, can connect to the Internet. This option forces both parties to agree upon and set a time for the call in advance of the call itself. In other words, at least one communication, prior to the call, is needed to enable the "rendezvous" model. For example, consider the case where the caller is in Los Angeles, Calif. and the callee is in Paris, France. The caller and callee would need another means of communication (e.g., mail or regular telephone call) to establish the time of the Internet call. This option is burdensome and inefficient, especially if the Internet phone call is the preferred method of communication.
Second, the participants of an Internet phone call, if they do not determine in advance the time of the phone call, can hope that the other party is connected to the Internet in a hit or miss fashion. This option is very arbitrary and not recommended.
Clearly, both of these options are undesirable for the participants of an Internet phone call. Accordingly, their remains an unmet need for an improved method of establishing an Internet phone call that overcomes the disadvantages set forth above.